equalpride

What equalpride does

equalpride, operating under Equal Entertainment LLC, is a privately held LGBTQ+-owned and operated media and entertainment company headquartered at 6230 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles. Founded in 2010 by Michael Kelley and led by CEO Mark Berryhill with CFO Joe Lovejoy overseeing acquisition strategy, the company operates a multi-brand portfolio of editorial properties — Out Magazine (LGBTQ+ fashion/lifestyle, 30+ years), The Advocate (LGBTQ+ news, 55+ years), Them.us (Gen Z/millennial culture, acquired from Condé Nast in February 2026), PRIDE.com, Out Traveler (LGBTQ+ travel), and Health PLUS Wellness (HIV-focused) — alongside a content studio (Advocate Originals) and a 24/7 streaming channel (The Advocate Channel) distributed on Hulu, ABC Owned Television Stations, and FAST/CTV platforms. The company is LGBTQ+-owned, has 11-50 employees per the firmographic record, and was ranked #1 LGBTQ+ publisher by Comscore for January and February 2026 with approximately 8.6-10 million monthly unique visitors and 6.8 million social visitors.

The company monetizes primarily through advertising and branded content, with secondary revenue from streaming distribution deals, live events (Equality Ball, CVNTY Ball Tour, Pride festival activations), and a 2023-launched e-commerce venture (The Pride Store). Named enterprise customers include Lexus, McDonald's, Google Pixel, Gilead, Truly, and göt2b, and the company operates an in-house creative studio (EP Studios) for branded campaigns and documentary sponsorships. Go-to-market is a hybrid of community-led audience engagement (owned digital, social, print, streaming, and live events) and direct enterprise sales to brand advertisers, with a quote-based annual pricing model for advertising and partnership packages that are not publicly disclosed. Technology is described as a digital media publishing platform with streaming video, social media integration, and branded content production infrastructure, but the company discloses no AI/ML capabilities, no public APIs, and no proprietary data products.

The company's most consequential recent events are a transformative 2022 acquisition of the Out and Advocate brand portfolio, the February 2026 acquisition of Them from Condé Nast, and a February 2026 company-wide layoff round that the CEO attributed to a challenging advertising market and major campaign cancellations — the latter signaling material exposure to the brand-advertising cycle alongside an active pivot toward non-advertising revenue.

Name

equalpride

Legal name

Equal Entertainment LLC

Website

https://equalpride.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

equalpride is a privately held, LGBTQ+-owned media and entertainment company that operates Out, The Advocate, Them, PRIDE.com, Out Traveler, Health PLUS Wellness, and the Advocate Channel streaming platform, monetizing primarily through brand advertising, branded content, streaming distribution, and live events targeting LGBTQ+ audiences and Fortune 500 advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Digital Media & Entertainment

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Rights Management, Content ID & Anti-Piracy Platforms (MPACABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE), Talent, Likeness & Personality Rights Licensing (MPABANAG)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ media publishing
• Branded content production
• Digital advertising sales
• Streaming entertainment channel
• Lifestyle journalism

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Primary revenue stream from brand advertisers seeking to reach LGBTQ+ audiences through display advertising, video ads, sponsored content, and branded entertainment across owned media properties, social channels, and streaming platforms.
2. Streaming Subscriptions: Revenue from content distribution deals and potential subscription fees through streaming platforms like Hulu and the Advocate Channel.
3. Branded Content and Partnerships: Revenue from creating custom branded content campaigns, documentary sponsorships, and event partnerships with brands like göt2b for the Queen of New York documentary.
4. Live Events: Revenue generated from producing and hosting live events including the Equality Ball, CVNTY Ball Tour, and participation in Pride festivals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

equalpride is an LGBTQ+-owned media and entertainment company that operates a portfolio of digital publications, print magazines, a 24/7 streaming channel (Advocate Channel), and a branded content production studio (Advocate Originals/EP Studios). Its flagship editorial brands include Out Magazine, The Advocate, Them.us, PRIDE.com, Out Traveler, and Health PLUS Wellness, and the company monetizes primarily through advertising sold to brand advertisers seeking to reach LGBTQ+ audiences across digital, social, streaming, broadcast, and live event channels.

Product overview

Equalpride operates as an LGBTQ+-owned media and entertainment company with a multi-platform portfolio architecture consisting of legacy print and digital publications, original video content studios, and streaming distribution channels. The core portfolio includes three flagship editorial brands—Out Magazine (fashion/lifestyle, 30+ years), The Advocate (news, 55+ years), and Them.us (Gen Z/millennial culture, acquired 2026)—alongside PRIDE.com, Out Traveler (LGBTQ+ travel), and Health PLUS Wellness (HIV health). The company produces original programming through Advocate Originals, which creates shows like The Advocates, Pride of Broadway, and Out100 specials. Content is distributed via the 24/7 Advocate Channel streaming platform available on Hulu, ABC Owned Television Stations, and connected devices. A 2023 e-commerce venture, The Pride Store, extends the brand into retail. The company ranked #1 LGBTQ+ publisher by Comscore for January-February 2026 with approximately 10 million monthly uniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Out Magazine: The world's leading LGBTQ+ fashion & lifestyle brand for over 30 years
• The Advocate
• Them
• Out Traveler
• Health PLUS Wellness
• Advocate Originals
• The Advocate Channel
• OUT100

Products and services

• Out Magazine The world's leading LGBTQ+ fashion and lifestyle brand for over 30 years, featuring fashion, pop culture, and journalism across print, online, video, and social platforms.
• The Advocate The leading LGBTQ+ news source in the U.S. for over 55 years, delivering critical reporting on politics, business, arts, entertainment, family life, and health.
• Them.us Award-winning digital platform for Gen Z and Millennial LGBTQ+ people covering culture, politics, and identity.
• PRIDE.com LGBTQ+ digital media brand providing news, culture, and community content for the broader LGBTQ+ audience.
• Out Traveler The ultimate travel companion for intrepid LGBTQ+ adventurers, covering destinations, travel guides, and queer-friendly venues worldwide.
• Health PLUS Wellness Digital publication focused on health and wellness of people living with HIV, providing resources, news, and support for the community.
• Advocate Originals (EP Studios) Production studio creating inspirational shows, films, and documentaries that celebrate people making a difference, including The Advocates, Pride of Broadway, Out100 specials, and Big Easy Queens.
• Advocate Channel 24/7 streaming FAST channel and video-on-demand platform offering LGBTQ+-focused programming including original series, documentaries, and specials available on Hulu, ABC platforms, and streaming devices.
• The Pride Store E-commerce venture by equalpride and Intelligent Deals offering LGBTQ+-inclusive gifts from LGBTQ+-owned and ally brands, launched November 2023.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Infinity PartnershipscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStrategic partnership for CTV (Connected TV) and FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) Channel distribution, expanding reach into streaming television environments for LGBTQ+ content distribution.
• SpoPro (Spotlight Productions)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution and production partnership for creating and distributing LGBTQ+ content across multiple platforms and formats.
• SMYALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership program supporting LGBTQ+ youth through advocacy, resources, and visibility initiatives.
• The Theater OffensivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership program supporting LGBTQ+ arts and cultural expression through community collaboration.
• OutfestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative Hope Initiative partnership supporting LGBTQ+ filmmakers and content creators through mentorship, development, and distribution opportunities.
• TRAVERSE32minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership for documentary and content development, particularly for projects like the Queen of New York documentary.
• ABC Owned Television StationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast distribution partnership for Out100 programming, bringing LGBTQ+ content to audiences through ABC's owned television station network.
• Voss ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the CVNTY Ball Tour, a live event series bringing together LGBTQ+ community celebrations.
• Human Rights Campaign FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Equality Ball, a signature fundraising and celebratory event supporting LGBTQ+ advocacy and civil rights initiatives.
• Intelligent DealsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenture partnership for The Pride Store, an e-commerce initiative offering LGBTQ+-branded merchandise and products.
• IPG Mediabrands / UMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia agency partnership for the Queen of New York documentary project, providing marketing and media buying support for LGBTQ+ documentary content.
• göt2bminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand sponsorship for the Queen of New York documentary, providing funding and promotional support for LGBTQ+ documentary content.
• HulucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStreaming distribution partnership making LGBTQ+ content available to Hulu subscribers through content licensing agreements.
• Condé NastminorOthersAcquired Them, a digital media brand focused on LGBTQ+ culture, expanding equalpride's portfolio of LGBTQ+ media properties.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PinkNews: PinkNews is one of the largest LGBTQ+ digital news and culture publishers globally, operating across web, social, and video — directly comparable to equalpride's flagship brands (Out, The Advocate, Them) in audience, advertiser model, and editorial mission.
• Queerty: Queerty is a long-running LGBTQ+ digital news and entertainment publisher with a similar advertising-supported model and audience overlap with equalpride's brands, making it a direct comparable for traffic, monetization, and content strategy.
• Gay Times: Gay Times is a multi-platform LGBTQ+ media brand spanning digital, print, and events — directly comparable to equalpride's integrated approach across Out Magazine, Pride.com, and live-event properties like the Equality Ball.
• Towleroad: Towleroad is a longstanding LGBTQ+ news and culture site with a similar digital-publisher footprint, audience demographic, and advertising-supported business model to equalpride's flagship editorial sites.
• LGBTQ Nation: LGBTQ Nation is an LGBTQ+ focused digital news publisher with overlapping audience and advertiser base, serving as a direct peer for traffic monetization and editorial positioning against equalpride's brands.

Emerging players

• Revry: Revry operates a LGBTQ+-focused streaming and FAST channel network — closely comparable to equalpride's Advocate Channel strategy and CTV/FAST distribution ambitions, though as a pure-play streaming player with less editorial scale.

Broad incumbents

• Condé Nast: Condé Nast is a major mainstream publisher that divested Them to equalpride in February 2026 — historically operating in the same multi-brand, multi-format premium media space and competing for the same Fortune 500 brand budgets across broader lifestyle verticals.
• Dotdash Meredith: Dotdash Meredith is a large-scale digital media operator across multiple verticals with advertising, branded content, and licensing revenue streams — comparable to equalpride's diversified monetization across Out, The Advocate, and EP Studios.
• Vox Media: Vox Media operates a portfolio of premium digital brands with advertising, branded content, and live-events revenue — a structural comparable for how equalpride could scale its multi-brand portfolio and EP Studios offering to Fortune 500 advertisers.

Others

• GLAAD: GLAAD is an LGBTQ+ media advocacy and monitoring organization that shapes advertiser and publisher behavior toward the community — an adjacent peer shaping the demand environment and cultural relevance that equalpride's brands depend on for advertiser demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pridemediainc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLYQO1wfDwYtr5ZzBt9bc6zE3KnUZw-fCR
• Facebookfacebook.com/equalprideInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equal-pride
• Instagraminstagram.com/equalpride

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about equalpride